


comfurt

by sunshinsou



Series: Owls & Cats [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Asexual Character, Comfort, Confessions, Fluff, Gay Kuroo Tetsurou, Literal Sleeping Together, Love Confessions, M/M, Minor Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Not Beta Read, Sharing a Bed, but it's a small one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:26:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29563968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshinsou/pseuds/sunshinsou
Summary: How Kuroo and Kenma ended up together.Aka trying to find a cat pun for the title was the hardest thing I've ever done.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji & Bokuto Koutarou & Kozume Kenma & Kuroo Tetsurou, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Series: Owls & Cats [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2171925
Comments: 4
Kudos: 65





	comfurt

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chemsworth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chemsworth/gifts).



> This is a spin-off to my Bokuaka fic, so there might be a couple references, but it can be read as a standalone.
> 
> Happy late Valentine's day & Happy Birthday Mace!!

“You know it’s barely been three weeks since Akaashi and I started dating, though, right?” Bokuto asked through the phone speaker. Kuroo couldn’t do much other than whine.

Okay, so maybe this was the one-hundredth time he was complaining about this, but he had every right to! It’s not his fault his best friend wasn’t giving him any attention when he needed it so desperately.

“Besides, we literally just saw each other yesterday.”

“Yeah, in class!” Kuroo finally replied, groaning again. “Since when does that even count? You were with me basically all the time, and now I’ve been abandoned!” He let himself fall back against the couch, hand dramatically moving to his forehead, even though Bokuto wouldn’t be able to see it. He was kind of a sucker for dramatics sometimes.

“First of all, you got at least a dozen other friends, so stop complaining! And second, maybe you wouldn’t be alone if you just-“

“Don’t say it.”

“Bro, it’s just-“

“Don’t say it, Bo. I swear, I will never talk to you again.”

There was a laugh at the other end of the line, and Kuroo sighed.

“You think I’ll believe that after what I’ve just heard? Besides, you were at my place all the time ‘cause you were avoiding Kenma. If you just confessed to him, you wouldn’t have to third-wheel, or be lonely, and you’d actually spend some time at the place you’re paying for, and Akaashi-“

“We get it, you wanna fu- Oh wait. Uh, well, more like make out, I guess? Whatever, you’re both sappy as hell. Letting me hang out with you is for the best. Otherwise, you’d run out of cheesy shit to say to each other after a week,” Kuroo explained – or, well, it was more of a ramble than anything else.

“A week? You definitely underestimate us, but whatever you say, Mister Jealous,” Bokuto replied, with another chuckle.

“That’s the best you can come up with?”

“Mhm,” Bokuto mumbled, clearly distracted by something.

“Oh, come on! Don’t tell me Akaashi just came over. You can’t even talk to me on the phone anymore?”

This time, Bokuto laughed at him without even pretending to hold back. “We’ve been on the phone for three hours, but yeah.”

Kuroo shot up, immediately getting off the couch, looking around. “Shit, it’s been that long? I gotta go, Bo,” he quickly said, not waiting for a reply before hanging up. He was sure Bokuto would’ve just made a dumb comment about how he had been the one who wanted to hang up first anyway.

None of that mattered right now, though, because the thing that was occupying his mind was Kenma.

Okay, so that wasn’t anything new, but it was definitely a problem – right now even more than usually.

Kenma was supposed to be home around ten minutes ago. If he was unlucky, the guy had just snuck past him into his own room, and immediately fallen asleep.

Unlucky, because Kuroo may or may not have spent the majority of today trying to make dinner for his roommate. He wasn’t a bad cook in the least, but being unsure about what Kenma actually liked, he had decided to try something new. His eagerness and excitement might have distracted him a little. (He totally didn’t end up daydreaming three times and almost burning the house down twice. After that third attempt, he called Bokuto to remind him to stay focused. Somehow it had actually worked.)

He figured that if Kenma had made it home already, he should be knocked out cold almost by now, so he dared to walk towards his room, and slowly opened the door.

To his surprise, no one was in there.

Instead, he heard the front door slam, so he jumped back, trying to look casual.

“Oi, Kenma! I made dinner, you can have some,” he said in a friendly voice, leaning back against the wall closest to him.

“You can eat it. Already had dinner. Going to sleep,” Kenma mumbled, voice quiet and tired.

“Cool, sweet dreams!” Kuroo replied, but as soon as the door closed, his shoulders sagged and he couldn’t hide his disappointment. Fuck. This was definitely not going to work out. How was he supposed to confess, if he couldn’t even get Kenma to spent time with him inside their own home?

* * *

About a week passed, and somehow Bokuto and Akaashi had convinced Kenma to hang out with them today.

They have done this a few times by now, and it was never bad or anything, but there was something awkward about spending time with a couple when you and the other person weren’t one. He wasn’t sure if Kenma ever felt the same way, so he never mentioned it.

After the first two times of meeting up as a group, Wednesday’s date night – this was Bokuto’s fault – hadn’t gone any differently. It was the same as always – banter, horrific jokes, insults, a bit of flirting even?

Still, he wasn’t the biggest fan. At some point about halfway throughout the first time they came together, Bokuto and Akaashi had decided that it was their mission to play matchmaker and get the other two together. It was a nightmare, because while he could more or less deal with it, Kenma always got uncomfortable. It was hard to look at him sometimes, with how unhappy and uneasy he seemed.

Still, the couple never let it go, and he figured it wasn’t going to be any different today.

“Kuroo, I really don’t mind hanging out with you, but you need to do something about Kenma,” Akaashi had told him that one time.

Back then, in his drunken state, he hadn’t really thought much of it. Mostly because he was too busy focusing on the fact that Akaashi actually liked him. (He might have had a little existential crisis over his best friend’s boyfriend hating him that night, which was how both, him and Bokuto, had ended up cuddling Akaashi so tightly he could barely breathe.)

But these days, he couldn’t get it out of his head. Akaashi had probably mean to encourage him to confess, but sometimes he thought it might have been a warning too. About what? He wasn’t sure. And well, their behavior now didn’t explain it either, so maybe he was just paranoid, scared of hurting Kenma by whatever he did or didn’t do.

Not just the couple’s words caused problems, though. Kenma genuinely looked like he wanted to burn the whole world down any time Akaashi or Bokuto so much as thought about forcing one of them to make a move on the other – even if it was just a joke. And while Kenma usually gave off that vibe anyway, it seemed more ehanced when all of them were together.

Sure, it could be shrugged off as Kenma not liking groups of people, but Akaashi was his best friend, and he liked Bokuto well enough. It shouldn’t have been that bad – so he must have been bothered, right?

Either way, in an attempt to make Kenma as comfortable as possible tonight, Kuroo had decided to tell Akaashi and Bokuto to lay it off with the hints and matchmaking. Of course neither of them would have agreed just like that, so he added that he’d be trying to figure out if Kenma was actually interested in him by himself.

He promised them subtle flirting (compared to his usual, obnoxious flirting and sexual innuendos) to show that he was serious, and an eventual confession if Kenma wasn’t totally disturbed by his actions.

Obviously, he didn’t plan to actually go through with it. He wasn’t going to put Kenma’s comfort at risk for his selfish wants.

Though begrudgingly, both of them accepted his plan, and that’s how they ended up here.

Kenma, sitting right next to him, while Kuroo’s arm was slung around the back of the couch. He was leaning in a bit, under the premise of wanting to hear better, and surprisingly enough the blonde moved in a little closer as well.

Bokuto was making drinks in the kitchen (he had insisted on trying some weird cocktails), and Akaashi was sitting in a chair opposite of them, also listening.

It was somewhat a strange situation. He wasn’t sure how Kenma had ended up talking, but it was nice. He didn’t usually speak this freely, not about anything but video games or movies. Sure, he listed to Kuroo, and he threw in comments here and there, but he never actively told stories like this. Not to him, at least.

Strange might have been the wrong word. Fascinating, lovely, exciting. He felt somewhat special, though he couldn’t tell if maybe this was more common for when Akaashi and Kenma hung out. It might be Akaashi’s skill of keeping a straight face that was coming through, but he looked entirely unaffected. Or maybe this was his way of trying to make Kenma feel like this was good, like it wasn’t a big deal if he suddenly started talking, so he could continue, or even do it more often.

The thought made him smile to himself, and his heart beat a little faster. That was, until Bokuto entered the room again, grinning widely as their eyes locked.

“What are you guys talking about?” he asked with a bright smile, “Kuroo looked so captivated, it must have been something interesting, huh?”

Kuroo went red, because why wouldn’t he? By the time he had composed himself enough to throw a glare in Bokuto’s direction, the guy was settling down in Akaashi’s lap, not even looking at him. It didn’t stop him from staring angrily, until Kenma cleared his throat and nodded towards the monopoly board.

“Can we start then?” he asked quietly.

Right. This was supposed to be game night after all.

* * *

To no one’s surprise, Kenma wasn’t just good at video games. He might actually be better at board games for some inexplicable reason. It was seriously frustrating and probably going to drive Kuroo insane if he lost even one more time.

Monopoly went horribly. He wasn’t just the first one to spend all his money and fall into debt, but also the one to beg the others to just stop playing already. They had been at it for at least two hours by then, and for some reason all of them were way too competitive when it came to winning this.

“You’re all just saying this ‘cause I’m getting rich right now!” Bokuto had whined when they decided to vote on whether they should continue playing or not.

“No, I’m just tired of watching you guys do the same thing over and over again,” Kuroo had replied, earning a laugh from both Kenma and Akaashi.

Kenma spoke next. “If you weren’t such a shitty player you might not be this bored right now. I can’t believe you didn’t even have the balls to play ‘till the end.”

Thinking about it, he should have expected a stupid one-liner. Kenma loved making comments like that, and maybe, just maybe, Kuroo actually didn’t mind them when they came from him.

“He’s right. Aren’t you a business and economics major, Kuroo? I thought this would be your field of expertise,” Akaashi added, and Kuroo didn’t see a point in arguing any further. He was clearly losing more than just the game.

Luckily, Kenma laughed again, and it made him feel a little better.

Kenma’s laugh wasn’t blinding, like the sun. It was subtle, reserved, sweet. It made his heart beat a little faster, and it felt like he was being let in on a secret. He loved it. As insane as it sounded, even to himself, he would probably do anything to hear it more frequently.

Sadly, Kenma saved the laughs for other people, it seemed. Kuroo was mostly presented with teasing smiles, or fond (disguised as annoyed) rolls of his eyes. Those were pretty good, too, though.

“Earth to Kuroo?” Fuck. He was staring. “Do you wanna try not losing this time?” Kenma’s eyes were on him, and he was leaning back a bit, so he could look at Kuroo properly. Again, his heart fluttered, and he forgot how anything worked. He barely managed a nod, so all three of them started laughing – though he was sure Bokuto and Akaashi were laughing for different reasons.

Uno didn’t go much better. Kuroo ended up last, even when Bokuto decided to help him cheat, and kept spying on the others’ cards for him.

It wasn’t his fault though. Maybe it was a little hard to pay attention when he was constantly thinking about how badly he wanted to say something to Kenma, crack a joke, or get his attention some other way. But just being distracted wasn’t enough to lose a game like this so miserably. He must have been unlucky.

Finally, they ended his suffering, and decided to take a break. Only then did Kuroo realize how badly things were going.

Not only was he totally lame – Kenma probably wanted to date someone who could actually keep up with him in games – but he also hadn’t managed to make a single move. Not just those he had planned for show, but also none of the usual ones. He hadn’t even started a simple conversation between them. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why he was incapable of the most normal things today. So far no one had mentioned his weird behavior, though, so maybe life didn’t hate him entirely.

He found himself staring at Bokuto. His eyes had been unfocused up until then, but he must have been looking at him for a while, if the way Bokuto’s expression twisted from amusement to worry by the time he was aware of their little interaction meant anything.

He sighed again. Unlucky as he might be, that didn’t mean he should just give up that easily. This wasn’t different from any other date night they had spent together, so he just needed to get over this invisible border and everything would be fine.

That’s how he found himself sitting even closer next to Kenma when they settled down on the ground to play Mario Kart, while Akaashi and Bokuto took the couch. (The two of them had argued that it was only fair if they switched places, but Kuroo and Kenma both know how uncomfortable their chairs could be, so they settled for this instead.)

Kenma didn’t seem to mind their sudden proximity, and Kuroo could feel Bokuto’s eyes on him, so he finally made a move.

It wasn’t anything big or unusual, but it wasn’t casual either. It was one of the things he had planned, hoping that they wouldn’t make Kenma tense.

His hair was long, so Kuroo had actually helped him braid it multiple times, which was why he was currently internally praying, that this wasn’t out of Kenma’s comfort zone. (Why Kenma needed his hair braided, or why Kuroo was actually really good at it didn’t need to concern anyone but the two of them.)

So, he had reached out and slowly pushed Kenma’s hair back, behind his shoulder. It had earned him a quick glance at first, but Kenma didn’t say anything, nor did he look upset, so Kuroo took that as a good sign.

A second later, he was playing with Kenma’s surprisingly healthy-looking ends.

He had tried playing the first round then, but getting a chance to be this close wouldn’t come again any time soon – not without an excuse – so he purposefully failed the second round and dropped the game entirely afterwards.

He settled back against Bokuto’s legs and glanced up at him. Right when their eyes locked, and Bokuto started mouthing something, he felt Kenma shift. He let go of his hair, turned to face him, and saw Kenma giggling behind his hand. Giggling. Holy shit.

“Are you laughing at me right now?” he asked without thinking.

Kenma’s eyes flicked to the side, where Kuroo was sitting. It was like he sobered up then, pulling his hand away and sitting back, the way he had been previously. “So what? You kind of deserve it.”

“Huh! Totally do not! It’s not my fault this game is rigged.”

Kenma snorted, which Kuroo decided to count as another success. He was almost sure he would have gotten an actual response, too, if Akaashi hadn’t called for another round right then.

Bokuto softly hit him for ruining the moment, and Kuroo shot them a look.

After that, Kuroo was a little lost, if he was honest. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to try and make conversation again, and he wasn’t feeling brave enough to keep looking at the blonde, even though he hadn’t backed away from playing with his hair.

So, his eyes stayed focused on Bokuto, who also stopped playing a while later. They started chatting, and everything felt a little easier almost immediately.

Then Bokuto wrapped an arm around Akaashi, and almost on instinct Kuroo’s arm twitched. He barely stopped himself from pulling Kenma close. It scared him a bit – having that little self-control. He wasn’t sure if Kenma would actually mind, but he didn’t want to risk it right now. If the evening got any worse, he might cry, or laugh hysterically… or something.

So, he pulled away, and actually got up. He stretched a bit, as if that was what he had intended to do anyway.

“Anyone want another drink or something?”

“I’ll help you!” Bokuto jumped up as well, smiling as brightly as he always did.

“That thirsty, huh?” Kuroo grinned. He glanced over at the other two for a moment, caught Kenma’s eyes and immediately turned away, a blush spreading across his cheeks. Kenma was probably the only one who could make him feel embarrassed in moments like these.

The walk to the kitchen was short, but definitely not sweet. He wasn’t sure if he was imagining things, but there was a weird tension between the four of them. Akaashi tried striking up conversation with Kenma when they were no longer in sight, but even something about that didn’t feel quite right.

“So, what’s up with you? You’re not usually this…quiet,” Bokuto asked as soon as they were out of hearing distance. He was still whispering, which was somewhat unusual for him. Kuroo appreciated it, obviously.

That didn’t mean he was going to just answer, though. “Says you. I didn’t know you could whisper” he replied. Bokuto groaned.

Maybe Kuroo would have been more open if Bokuto didn’t have this evil, somehow concerned look on his face. Whatever it was, the volleyball player didn’t look like he was going to help in any way.

Kuroo just went about this business, and grabbed a handful of beer cans. He had almost started opening them one by one, when Bokuto held out his hand to stop him.

“Kuroo,” he started, interrupting himself with a sigh. “You gave me some great advice once-“

“You mean about Akaashi? Dude, I know. Look at where it got me.” Maybe he sounded a little more bitter than he intended to.

“Can you not interrupt me?” Bokuto’s previously calm and quiet voice was turning a little dangerous, but he didn’t look mad or anything. In fact, he was still smiling, like he knew something Kuroo didn’t.

“Uh, sorry?”

“Yes, thank you,” he replied, smiling even… bigger? It was a little disturbing, but Kuroo didn’t dare ask, and Bokuto didn’t continue, so they just stared at each other until Bokuto finally broke.

“You’ve just been watching him longingly all night. Not even eye contact. That’s like the least of what you could do! I swear, you’ve done more to flirt with my mom than you did with Kenma tonight!” That claim made Kuroo chuckle. It was probably true, but if Bokuto’s growing frown meant anything, that wasn’t what he wanted to hear now.

Whatever, Kuroo didn’t feel like meeting anyone else’s expectations today. He had already failed plenty times at that anyway.

“Well, to be fair, your mom is pretty ho-“

“Kuroo! Shut up! You can say this shit about anyone, but my mom is off-limits!”

Kuroo smirked. “Aw, is mommy’s boy jealous?”

That comment earned him a slap on the back of his head, and a frown.

“Bo, it’s fine. I’m gay anyway. If anything, I’d go for your dad.”

Kuroo was definitely impressed by how much self-control Bokuto had right now. He was sure the comment would have made him laugh any other time. Instead of that, he was looking at him with a face so unbothered, Kuroo questioned if this was Akaashi standing in front of him.

“Stop trying to change the topic,” he stated firmly.

Kuroo looked away then, because Bokuto was right. He was trying to change the topic. The whole situation was just embarrassing, and it only got worse when Bokuto saw through him like he was made of glass.

“Did you realize you don’t want to do this, or something? That’s cool, you know. You said we figure stuff out all the time, so you just need to do whatever you think feels right. And also, well…. You probably shouldn’t lead Kenma on. Akaashi can be scary. Other than that, though,…”

Kuroo stared at his best friend as he kept rambling. It was nice, he appreciated the gesture, but that wasn’t it.

“No, no…” he finally said, just to get a bit of peace and quiet. He wasn’t sure where he was going with it.

“I just… get nervous around him. I don’t wanna fuck up. Reading him when it’s just the two of us is a lot easier, but I don’t want to make things awkward. In some moments, like today, when I do have the chance… I… freak out, I guess,” he shrugged, “I want him so bad, you wouldn’t believe it.”

Bokuto laughed, and a defeated groan left Kuroo’s lips. “I can definitely believe it. Just looking at you tells me that much…”

“Right! See! I’m super obvious, so he has to know, right?”

Bokuto shrugged. “Eh, I don’t know. I mean there’s definitely something wrong with you, but Kenma is totally blind to affection. Akaashi said that back in high school this girl literally told him about her crush on him, and he asked ‘like, romantically?’, so… you know….”

Kuroo stared at him for a moment. “I’m fucked.”

“Yeah, most definitely.”

This time, he wasn’t stopped when he opened another beer. After taking a big gulp, though, Bokuto grinned.

“Well, that’s my cue then. AKAASHI KEIJI!” Like a complete idiot, Bokuto didn’t even think of the neighbors.

“Shut up!” Kuroo hissed, and luckily Akaashi was smart enough to walk over to the kitchen instead of shouting back.

“What is it?” he asked a second too quickly. Kuroo was worried him and Kenma might have been listening, but the blonde was nowhere in sight, and Akaashi looked entirely unfazed. It was sort of amazing how easily he had gotten used to this – Bokuto, his shouting, his friends – and sometimes Kuroo wanted to kiss him, just to thank him for taking care of his best friend like that.

(Obviously there was nothing more to it. Kuroo was just very physically affectionate with his friends. Plus, ‘sometimes’ usually meant any time he got drunk and a little overly emotional because of Bokuto, who was one of those drunks, that always cry about anything and everything – “Kuroo, look! The dog, it’s so cute.” And a second later you’d hear sniffles.)

“We should go home! It’s getting late.”

His tone was way too excited and hyper for what he just said, but nobody pointed it out. Instead, Akaashi nodded and then gazed back towards the hall. “We should say goodbye to Kenma,” he said, and Bokuto agreed easily.

Goodbyes went a lot faster than usually, with Bokuto actually rushing outside, and Akaashi trying to keep up. He seemed a little worried, but also smiled by the time they left, so Kuroo figured they would be fine.

Him and Kenma, though? That was an entirely different story.

They decided to start cleaning up, and Kuroo had hoped opening the window might relief them of this awkward air, but it only got worse.

At some point, he was ready to just apologize. He was sure it must have had to do with how closely they had sat next to each other or something.

Before he could even open his mouth, though, Kenma did.

“You know, if you’re that into Bokuto, you should have asked him out before Akaashi did it. You might have had a chance then, but now it’s not your business anymore. If you get in-between them, none of us will forgive you, so pull yourself together.”

The statement caught him off guard, so he just stared at him for a while.

“What?” he finally managed, dumbly. Kenma was rolling his eyes.

“You suck at hiding it.”

But it’s for you. It’s not about Bokuto. All those glances, blushes, smiles, touches – they’re all for you.

He couldn’t get out a single word. Instead, he had to watch Kenma walk away, back into his room.

What just happened?

Before he knew it, he was walking after him. “Kenma, that’s not what it’s like.”

Kenma stopped, and turned around. He looked a lot less composed than he had a minute ago.

“Kuro, I have eyes! Even Akaashi noticed. He spent all night looking between you two! It’s not fair! You guys aren’t being fair…”

He didn’t say ‘not fair to Akaashi’. Did he need to? Was Kuroo just reading too much into this by thinking that maybe Kenma was a little jealous? Maybe his friends were right this whole time, and maybe this crush wasn’t unrequited at all.

Kenma turned back again, and this time fully disappeared into his room.

For a while, Kuroo stood there, thinking it would be best to just leave him alone. Kenma valued his space, probably even more in stressful situations like this. But something in his gut was telling him it wasn’t the right choice. Knowing Kenma, he’d just stay up all night, trying not to think about what happened, but overthink it anyway.

It had happened before, and each time Kuroo wished he could have been there for him instead of having to witness an even more sleep deprived Kenma the next morning.

He was hesitant, torn between going to his own room and storming in, and beg Kenma to let him explain.

What was there to explain, though? Was he going to tell him he had a crush on him, and not on Bokuto? That would probably be the worst way to confess. He wouldn’t even be able to make fun of Bokuto anymore for how his confession to Akaashi had gone.

That wasn’t what he wanted to do, so he wouldn’t. He’d go to his own room, text him maybe? That would show his worry without being overbearing, right? It would give him the right distance, but still show Kenma that he was here for him.

Or that’s what he planned on doing, until he heard a loud thud, coming from Kenma’s room.

Without thinking, he threw open the door and walked in. Looking around, it seemed like nothing was wrong. He regretted freaking out like this immediately, even more so when he met Kenma’s wide, startled eyes with his own.

“Sorry, I thought-“ He didn’t get to finish the sentence when something did fall out of the closet. He wasn’t sure what it was, but considering Kenma didn’t move to pick it up, he didn’t either.

It was quiet then, Kenma relaxed a little, and his face fell back into a more neutral expression. He was probably waiting for Kuroo to leave, but he just couldn’t.

“Are you… okay? Is there anything I can do for you?” He asked, not sure what else to do. He couldn’t just keep standing here without saying something, right?

Kenma slowly shook his head, then looked towards whatever just fell out of the closet, towards his bed, and then at Kuroo. He sat down wordlessly, then motioned for something that probably could have meant anything. To Kuroo, it looked like a request to join him.

So, he did. After taking a couple tentative steps forward, making sure that he wasn’t getting this all wrong, he made it to the other side of the room. They sat next to each other at the edge of the bed.

“So…” he started, but when Kenma sighed, he stopped again.

“Why didn’t you just tell him before? You’ve been friends for a while, right?”

God. This was starting to get frustrating.

“Kenma. That’s not what that is. I’ve never felt anything but platonic bro feelings for Bokuto. He’s literally, like, my sibling, I could never look at him that way.”

Kenma looked up then, and they finally locked eyes again. He didn’t know how it happened, or when it started, but Kenma was crying. Kuroo had never seen him cry before, so he was probably embarrassed, which explained why he was furiously wiping at his face. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Kenma croaked, “Then Why?” and Kuroo’s body ached. He acted before his brain could catch up.

His arm wrapped around Kenma’s middle, and the guy went totally stiff. It should have been expected, Kuroo was ready to pull away, but then Kenma actually dropped his head against Kuroo’s shoulder and let out a deep breath.

“Sorry,” Kuroo mumbled, “Should’ve asked first.”

“’ts fine.” Kenma’s voice was so soft, laced with more than just sleepiness. He wasn’t going to ask, though, because the atmosphere was slowly becoming less tense, and maybe a bit of silence was exactly what they needed.

There was a sort of calm to their closeness, to the quietude. It wasn’t nerve-wracking, like it had been during the rest of the night. His heart wasn’t racing, and he wasn’t sweaty or nervous. He just wanted to comfort, be comforted.

Apparently, Kenma felt similarly. He went limp against Kuroo after a couple more seconds, just fully leaning into him. There were a couple more sniffles, but by the time Kuroo tightened his grip around him and starting drawing circles on Kenma’s back, he was breathing easily.

He knew he needed to speak up, anyway. Silence could only last and be healthy for so long. They should talk about this, about what this was, what it meant. But as soon as he opened his mouth, Kenma shushed him.

He considered speaking again, deciding against it for now. When it seemed like Kenma might have fallen asleep, though, he shifted a bit. He definitely couldn’t stay in this position all night, and Kenma was still dressed. The best option would be to wake him up again.

“Kenma?”

There was no response, so he tried again. “Kenma?”

“Hmmm?”

“You need to change and go to sleep.”

“Mhhm…”

Neither of them moved, so Kuroo sighed. “I will pick you up and carry you to the bathroom myself, if I have to.”

“Hm.”

Taking a deep breath, Kuroo tightened his grip around the other. He got up and adjusted, until he was steady on his feet, holding onto Kenma with strong arms.

Kenma wasn’t as light as he had expected, and Kuroo had to wonder if all that weight came from muscles, and if so, where those even came from. He’d find out some other time.

To his surprise, Kenma started stirring, eventually moving, when he hadn’t even made it two steps.

“Kuroooo,” he whined, and it might have been the most adorable thing Kuroo had ever heard. God, if he wasn’t already crushing so hard, this definitely would have made him fall for the blonde.

Not wanting either of them to get hurt, Kuroo slowly set him down, and made sure not to let go until Kenma was securely standing by himself.

Apparently, Kenma was full of surprises today, because he grabbed Kuroo’s hand and gave it a squeeze. He wasn’t looking at him, but Kuroo thought that maybe there was a blush creeping up the back of his neck. It was hard to tell with the dim lights.

“Do you want me to get you fresh clothes while you brush your teeth?” It was like his body was just acting by itself; saying and doing things he usually managed to keep to himself. Things that had remained wishful thoughts plenty of times already. Maybe it was encouraged by Kenma’s rather unusual behavior tonight, but that didn’t make it okay.

Or maybe it did? Kenma looked up at him, their eyes met, and he gave a quick nod, then headed to the bathroom.

Kuroo felt light, so damn light. He had no clue what was happening anymore, what lines he had crossed tonight.

He started moving soon enough, quickly looking through the shirts he knew Kenma liked to sleep in. When he was done picking something– a gigantic, long sleeved t-shirt that Kenma would definitely get lost in, and the first pair of sleeping pants he found – he headed to his own room.

Walking in, he noticed how cold it was, or felt. It was emptier than Kenma’s room. Not necessarily because he had fewer pieces of furniture in there, but because of the atmosphere. It felt suffocatingly lonely.

He tried to ignore it and got changed quickly, not really feeling all too great, even if it was his own space.

He saw the bathroom light was still on when he made it there, but the door was open, so he dared to take a peek.

What he found was Kenma sitting on the ground, leaning against the bathtub. He looked even more tired than he had in the dark.

“You should go to bed,” Kuroo stated quietly, walking in and grabbing his own toothbrush.

“In a sec,” was the slurred reply he had gotten. ‘In a sec’ turned out to be by the time Kuroo was done in there too, and he only really moved because Kuroo held out a hand for him to help him get up.

Again, this time a little more confidently, Kenma held onto his hand. And well, Kuroo was stunned into silence. His body moved for him – he was glad for it this time – and Kenma was able to drag them both into his bedroom again.

When he let go, Kuroo just stopped in the middle of the room and watched. (Was that his thing now? It just felt weird; moving by himself in a space that was so personal to Kenma.)

Kenma was getting into bed, wearing the clothes Kuroo had picked for him. He spent a lot of time shifting, moving closer and closer to the wall, and then he looked at back him.

Kuroo had no idea what this meant. Could it really be what he wanted it to be, or was he imaging things?

“I…” he started, not sure what he was trying to say anyway. “Do you…”

Kenma nodded, and Kuroo took a step forward, but stopped again when Kenma sighed.

“Turn off the light?”

Relief flooded his chest. He turned around, quickly pressed the light switch, and then slowly climbed into bed with him. By now, his heart was hammering hard against his ribs again. He thought it was probably from how nervous he had gotten about the light thing just now. Admittedly, it was hard to believe that he was lying in Kenma’s bed, though, so no one could blame him if maybe that made him feel a little on egde.

He wasn’t sure how much was allowed, and he didn’t know what to ask, so something way more stupid slipped through his lips instead. It hadn’t happened the whole night, so why now? Internally, he punched himself.

“If you were trying to get me to sleep with you, you should’ve just said so from the beginning.” A wink. God, his body was seriously betraying him. He could only hope that Kenma’s eyes hadn’t adjusted to the dark yet, or that it was just generally too dark to have seen it.

But Kenma groaned, and then he was turning around to face away from him.

There was some hesitation as he did so, though. So, when Kenma looked back at him over his shoulder, Kuroo knew he couldn’t have been that bothered.

He smiled to himself this time. He got lucky. Eventually, he slowly turned to lie on his side, facing Kenma. He tapped his shoulder, then his back, and eventually he rested his hand on the blonde’s waist.

Kenma moved again, facing him fully as well. He seemed to not have realized how close they were, until their faces were almost touching. “Uh,” he started, but nothing followed.

Instead, he blushed, looked down, and scooted closer.

“Is this okay?” Kuroo asked quietly.

“Mhm,” Kenma replied, and Kuroo got it.

He wasn’t even sure the words he was thinking or saying were making sense anymore, but this felt right. This position they were in felt like something they were meant to do, so peaceful, and loving, like home. It was a sensation he had never felt before, and he wasn’t sure what to do with it. He knew he wanted to keep it, store it, never let it go. But how?

He decided he’d think about it tomorrow. For now, he just placed his arms around Kenma’s waist properly, smiling when they were close enough, so that Kenma rested his head against Kuroo’s chest and their legs were tangled.

Maybe this night went better than expected after all.

* * *

Waking up the next day had gone surprisingly well. Kenma had been lying next to him, phone in hand, and he had felt warm. Their proximity, even after so many hours together, still had made him feel so satisfied; he couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.

They had gone about their day like any other then, not really mentioning it, or making a big deal about it.

Kuroo was aware that he would probably have to be the one to start a conversation, but he was scared. He didn’t even want to talk to Bokuto about it, especially not when both, him and Akaashi, kept asking questions about what had happened after they had left.

There was this weird insecurity there. He couldn’t describe it. Usually, he had no trouble asking people out, showing them, he liked them. Kenma, though, had always been special, different. Right now, he wasn’t sure anymore, whether that was a good thing or not.

About a week passed, and somehow Kuroo found himself in Kenma’s bed every single night. It wasn’t like sharing made that much of a difference to him. Sure, it was exciting and he enjoyed having someone to hold, especially if his crush was that someone. For him, it didn’t change how much sleep he got, though.

But Kenma? Kuroo was almost certain he hadn’t seen him sleep this much in…. well, ever.

So, when the second week rolled around, he was telling himself that he wasn’t just being selfish. He wasn’t the one who had turned this one-time thing into something bigger, just because he was trying to enjoy and indulge in the attention he was getting. Totally not. It was helping Kenma as well, and he wanted it…. Right?

By the time the third week of doing this started, he was so overcome with guilt, he didn’t leave his room the whole day (except to go to the bathroom of course). It was mostly an attempt to keep himself away from Kenma, and to suppress the need to go cuddle him as soon as it started getting dark out.

What he didn’t expect was a knock on his door right before midnight.

“Uh, yeah?”

“Can I come in?” The voice on the other side of the door was tired. It confirmed Kuroo’s suspicions about Kenma having tried to go to bed early tonight. So why was he here now?

“Obviously,” he quickly said, but he was frozen in place, so he waited for Kenma to come in by himself.

And he did. Eyes small and sleepy, his body language showing how exhausted he was. There was a pillow tucked under his arm, and he only hesitated for a moment, before moving towards the bed.

Their eyes didn’t meet, and neither of them said anything. Kenma sat on the edge of the bed for a while, before Kuroo finally found it in him to move aside, make some space for him, and let him crawl under the blanket as well.

So much for not sleeping together tonight.

“Are you okay?” he asked once both of them were lying down, voice a little too loud in the quiet room. This felt like a deja-vu.

Kenma nodded, then elaborated, “Just couldn’t sleep.”

Kuroo didn’t need to ask why. He knew, and it made his heart skip a beat.

“Are you okay?” Kenma then added, stressing the ‘you’.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” Kuroo wondered if Kenma could actually tell what he was thinking. He was definitely looking at him like he could. Somehow this made him feel even more guilty than anything that had happened over the past two weeks did.

“You were in here all day.”

“You could tell? Thought you spent all your time in bed, too,” he teased.

Kenma rolled his eyes, or attempted to, at least. He was growing more tired by the minute – it didn’t take much to tell.

“I still notice. You’re loud when you’re in the kitchen.”

“You say that ‘cause you haven’t heard me in bed yet.”

“Kuroo. We’re literally in the same bed right now.”

“Right.” He grinned, and Kenma tried not to, but Kuroo knew he thought it was funny, too. He just had to.

The silence stretched out when neither of them dared to disturb this familiar, carefree moment.

That’s when it occurred to Kuroo. Maybe this was what he had been waiting for. Something quiet and private. Kenma had just explicitly stated what situation they were in, and there probably wouldn’t be another opportunity like it.

He thought about it for another moment. If Kenma didn’t return his feelings he probably won’t be able to sleep tonight. Then again, he probably won’t be able to sleep no matter what day Kuroo would finally confess.

Okay. Then this was it.

He could totally do this.

“Kuroo, shut up,” Kenma interrupted his thoughts.

“Huh? I didn’t even say anything,” was the first thing Kuroo managed in response.

“I can hear you thinking. Quit staring at me.”

“Ah,” Kuroo chuckled. “It’s hard not to stare when you look so beautiful.”

He counted the seconds. It took less than five for Kenma to finally realize what Kuroo had said, and anther one for his eyes to fly open, probably wider than he appreciated right now. His face turned red, and Kuroo wasn’t sure if this was a good sign or not.

Out of nervousness, he ended up shifting, moving just enough so their faces were right in front of each other. Their eyes locked, and god, he should have just stayed in place.

Kenma’s gaze was more intense than he had ever seen it, and he wasn’t sure what to make of it.

The room fell silent once more, but his heart was thrumming in his ears, so he didn’t realize until he heard himself speak again.

“Is it okay for me to say that?”

Kenma let out a deep breath, and grew even redder. He nodded.

Kuroo smiled a little, nodding as well.

Slowly, so that Kenma could tell why he was moving and what he was doing, he reached out to cup his cheek. It was just that for now. He didn’t need anything else, because somehow this moment was better than any other type of physical contact had ever been.

Kenma closed his eyes again, and a smile grew on his lips, so open and raw.

Kuroo started moving his thumb a bit, caressing his soft skin. “Kenma,” he whispered, just to make sure he had the blonde’s attention.

“Kuro.” A single word that sent shivers down his spine. He hoped Kenma couldn’t tell.

“Remember when you asked me ‘why’?”

A nod, but Kenma didn’t bother looking at him. It was probably for the best, making both of them a little less nervous.

“Because of you.” The explanation was so cliché, he considered hunting down whoever was responsible for the phrase’s popularity.

Kenma seemed to think the same, because he snorted. “Ominous.”

His comment had both of them smiling, and Kuroo continued, even though he was starting to feel a little embarrassed.

“Bokuto knows that I got crush on you, and he was trying to get me to make a move.”

A weight was lifted off his chest, just to be replaced by a tight feeling in his stomach when Kenma didn’t react at all, besides his smile, which slowly disappeared again. He didn’t move, didn’t speak, god, Kuroo wasn’t even sure if he was still breathing. Did he fall asleep in that short moment of silence?

After a couple seconds of just lying there, looking around the room, and trying to figure out what was going on, he started pulling his hand away. If Kenma was asleep, he’d just try again tomorrow… or something.

Unsurprisingly, he startled when he suddenly felt a hand grip his own. Obviously, it was Kenma’s. (God, it felt so small.)

Looking at the blonde, he saw Kenma had turned his head, burying it entirely in his pillow.

“Are you serious?” The sound was muffled, but still pretty clear. Kuroo smiled. Kenma didn’t sound disgusted, or scared. The way he asked almost sounded giddy.

“Oh my god, are you blushing right now? Kenma?” He laughed, unable to stop himself. He felt so damn relieved already.

“Am not. Shut up,” Kenma lied. Even when he moved his head just enough to look at Kuroo with one eye, the pink shade his cheeks had turned was impossible to miss.

“You so are! You like me back, right?”

“No.” Kenma scowled, but not even that made Kuroo any less sure of himself and all this right now.

“Right, because you love me,” he said, not even wanting to stop himself. Kenma only sighed, though, so he laughed.

“I regret it already.”

“So you admit it!”

“No. Now shut up. Sleep.”

Kuroo obliged for about half a minute, but he couldn’t lie still. So, he moved again, pulling Kenma close enough so he could whisper to him with ease.

“You do like me, right?” he asked quietly, just to actually confirm. After all, Kenma’s comfort was, had been, and always will be incredibly important to him.

There was a beat of silence. Kenma buried his head in Kuroo’s chest this time, and then sighed again.

“Yeah. I like you,” he mumbled eventually, so quietly that it was barely audible.

“Good.”

Kuroo’s hands found Kenma’s hair then. He tangled his fingers in it, slowly brushing through it and scratching his scalp. It seemed to be exactly what he needed, because Kenma’s breath evened out only a few minutes later.

A content sigh left his own lips, and he probably would have fallen asleep with a smile, if Kenma didn’t start snoring right as he was about to drift off.

_**Bonus;** _

Friday. The week had been damn exhausting up until this point, and Kuroo was almost sure it wouldn’t get better.

He knew he wasn’t the only one suffering, though. Kenma had been taking exams for the past couple of days, so they had barely seen each other. Kuroo figured he needed to rest, desperately. So, he was waiting for him to come home. He had already prepared some food and laid out clothes for Kenma to sleep in. (This time he had shameless given him one of his own shirts.)

He had considered preparing a bath as well, but if he was honest, Kenma would probably be too tired.

And he was right. The door shut and he was greeted by his boyfriend’s gigantic frown and tired eyes.

“Hey, I made dinner, so-“

He didn’t even get to finish the sentence. Kenma dropped his bag, shook his head, and kept walking. “We can eat later. Come on, going to sleep first.” And with that he disappeared to Kuroo’s room.

No one could blame Kuroo for following him immediately. Maybe, just maybe, he had actually been waiting to nap until now.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Pls let me know if there's any mistakes!


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